ClutchPoints
The Cincinnati Bengals have their own way of doing things. The team took on the Washington Commander Monday for their second preseason game. And Joe Burrow remained on the field into the second quarter. The Pro Bowl passer told reporters he appreciated the opportunity to work out the kinks. But it’s probably unwise to risk the health of your franchise quarterback in a preseason game.
Burrow is determined to help the Bengals rebound in 2025 after missing the playoffs each of the last two years. But Cincinnati’s offense hasn’t been the problem. The other side of the ball is a different story. The Bengals had the eighth-worst overall defense in 2024. And the team is currently on extremely shaky ground with its best defensive player.
Following Monday’s game against the Commanders, Burrow addressed Trey Hendrickson’s contract situation, adding a positive spin to the saga.
“I think historically these deals with us have gotten done closer to week one. I signed the Thursday before the first game. I think historically the way we’ve done business tends to pick up the next two weeks so we’ll see,” Burrow said per FOX19’s Joe Danneman.
It’s true that the Bengals signed Burrow to a then-historic five-year, $275 million extension the first week of September in 2023. But there are some pretty substantial differences in the two situations.
Burrow was the team’s first overall draft pick in 2020, he was 26 at the time and had already led the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988. It was always just a question of “when” not “if” the team would sign him to a record-breaking extension. In the 31-year-old Hendrickson’s case, “if” is still very much in play.
Additionally, Burrow still had two years remaining on his rookie deal when he landed a long-term extension. Hendrickson is entering the final year of his contract and has been given no assurances that he’ll get the extension he’s after.
And, of course, the fact that the Bengals already did massive deals with wideouts Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins back in March sort of undercuts Burrow’s assessment. As does the fact that Cincinnati is listening to trade offers for Hendrickson.
Whichever way the contract saga plays out, at this point it’s clear the Bengals bungled the Hendrickson situation. After back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons, Cincinnati made it clear it doesn’t value the veteran defensive end.
Hendrickson ended his holdout and joined the Bengals in training camp. However, he’s now holding in and not participating in any preseason games. The All-Pro pass rusher has no intention of suiting up without a new contract.
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